


soldier poet king

by BobithenRoss



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Dream is the bad guy UwU, Fantasy AU, Happy Ending?, Major character death - Freeform, No real names, Sad ending?, Soldier!philza, Song fic, be nice this is my first post, family dynamic kinda, king!Dream, king!technoblade, poet!wilbur, spoilers in tags, this is a test, tommy has main character syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27422116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobithenRoss/pseuds/BobithenRoss
Summary: Tommy was an exceedingly average kid in the land of dsmp. He was loud, energetic, and a complete loudmouth. But when some strange men come out of the woods one night his life changes forever.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 137





	1. prologue

Stories of a King, his most prized soldier, and the most thoughtful poet coming to choose, train, and defend the next prince have been told to Tommy ever since he was a little kid. Even before school his parents would tell him the legend, but now that Tommy was sixteen the legends seemed more like fairy tales.

However, despite his lack of attention in the class the teacher insisted that it was of great importance. “Tommy, can you tell me what I just said?” Hearing his name coming out of Mrs.G’s mouth snapped him out of his head.

Tommy looked up from his desk with wide eyes, he had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. 

He looked around the room for some kind of hint from his classmates in a desperate attempt to save himself, but even his usually selfless best friend Tubbo refused to look at him.

Mrs. G, while definitely not the meanest teacher, was not one for lollygagging, and Tommy knew the consequences for his actions, so he put out an arm and squinted his eyes. She pulled out the wooden ruler from the holder at the base of her pants,“at least your honest Tommy.” 

She slammed the ruler onto the back of his arm, not quite hard enough to draw blood, but a dark red mark that would slowly turn purple.

It was the fifth time this week that Mrs.G thought that the ruler was a fit punishment, so Tommy barely flinched as it came down across his skin.

Class continued and so did Tommy’s complete lack of interest. 

Who cares if a king comes to the city once every thousand years? It could be any time from now to long after Tommy was dead, and he knew that later was far more likely than sooner. It didn’t matter, it was just old myths adults would tell kids so they behave. 

The rest of school was incredibly boring as well. Math was as stupidly difficult as normal, history and geography seemed to fuse together, and at lunch he sat alone at his desk, occasionally talking to Tubbo. 

Overall, a normal day.

After school Tommy and Tubbo walked where the dark mystery of the forest and the cruel safety of the town met.

“Why do we have to learn about some stupid fairytale every single day?” Tommy asked, kicking a pebble into the woods, “what’s the point? It’s not going to actually help us!”

Tubbo took a step into the woods, “I dunno Tommy, what if they show up? It’s possible.”

Tommy didn’t even translate what he Tubbo was saying before he started talking again, “it’s so stupid! It’s a shitty story that makes little kids listen to their parents!”

Tommy was so into his miniature rant that he didn’t notice when Tubbo sighed, looking back at him. They had been best friends since the fourth grade, been at each other's side through thick and thin even if Tommy was a bit much at times he had good intentions for the most part. “Even if it is true, what are the odds it affects me at all? It’s ridiculous Tubbo! Absolutely ridiculous!”

At this point Tommy was fuming, and it was getting dark, the only lights radiating from the castle windows and the half moon shining just above the clouds.

“Hey, Tommy it’s getting late and my mum doesn’t like it when I get home after dark, I think I’m gonna go,” and like that Tommy was alone, still quietly complaining to himself


	2. who’s that?

A week later Tommy woke up early for school, his hair scruffed and mind empty. Tommy was by absolutely no means a morning person, so having to wake up before sunrise for school was not a thing he wanted to do. With a loud groan he rolled over on his “bed” that was actually two old potato sacks sewn together with feathers stuffed inside and covered his head with his “pillow” that was an old shirt sewn with feathers inside as well. And while it was not comfortable, it was much better than going to school. 

He heard footsteps come up to his bed, soft yet determined steps. He didn’t need to look up to know his mother was about to do, and to nobody’s surprise seconds later the feeling of lukewarm water covered his whole body. Before his mind even registered what was happening he shot out of bed dripping with water, “What the hell? I was just about to get up!” lies, they both knew it.

His mother chuckled quietly and left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving a mildly annoyed teenager in his room to get ready for school. 

School was as boring as always. The teachers rant about their subject for an hour then another one comes in to do the same thing. None of them even bothered to pull the blond boy out of his daydream today knowing very well he would just drift back into them, all the teachers knew he was a lost cause ment as bait for wolves. That's just how things were, if you don't adapt you die, it's the unspoken rule of the kingdom. Adapt or die. 

Tommy was tapping a pencil on the desk having finished lunch early, and he couldn’t even talk to Tubbo because nobody was allowed to talk because of a particularly bad morning. One of Tommy’s classmates, Zak, had decided it was a good idea to stick porcupine quills on the teachers chair and needless to say she was very unhappy with that. Zak had been sent outside for the rest of the day to fend for himself.

And while Tommy did feel a little bad for him; being left alone in town is a dangerous game to play; but that wasn't the main thing on his mind.

Instead he was silently complaining to himself about his mother pouring water on him. All it did was make him cold and waste perfectly good water. People in his class would’ve killed to have a sip of it and she decided she was going to use it to make his life worse. His blonde hair was still a bit damp from it. Not to mention the teachers constantly asking him about it, the whole situation was annoying.

The school day eventually ended and he and Tubbo decided to walk around the edge of the forest. They were silent, the tension obvious between both of them, unspoken words left behind from the week before. They were walking around for a while when Tubbo finally spoke up “What do you think about the king?” 

Tommy stopped walking. The king was a touchy subject, if someone heard you talk bad about him you were put to death, and the thing is that wasn’t even the king's orders. The people of the city believed him to be a god since his great great great great great grandfather was “chosen” and anyone that spoke against a god was a no good sinner. “What?” Tommy spoke quietly.

“Hey, I’m not gonna tell anyone if you don’t like him. What kind of king refuses to share their own name? I personally don’t like him.”

Tommy’s eyes went wide, was he even allowed to say that? “Tubbo what the fuck?” He grabbed his friend by the shoulders so he could whisper even though there was nobody else around, “you can’t just say that.”

Tubbo in turn shrugged, “why not? Nobody can hear us, and I know you won’t tell on me.”

Tommy was just about to tell Toby how stupid he was when the sound of horse hooves filled the air. Thinking quickly he grabbed Toby behind a tree to watch as a brown horse walked up to the spot they were just standing. That was to close for comfort. How much had they heard? Anything at all?

Tommy sat down, crouching behind the tree, and soon after Tubbo joined him. Both of their hearts were sucked into their throats.

On the brown horse sat an average height, blond man in his early thirties. He was dressed in an expensive green and white hat with matching clothes, and a shimmering blue sword attached to his hip. His slight beard made him look wise, but something in his bright blue eyes gave him the look of an excited child let into the streets by themselves for the first time.

He looked around for a moment with a serious look on his face before smiling like a child given a free sweet from the market.

The man turned around to look back into the woods that he mysteriously emerged from waving his hand in the air.

Tommy felt Toby squeeze his arm, “who’s that?” His voice was barely audible.

“I don’t know… I don’t like this.”

“I think we should go-“

“You can go. I’m gonna see what happens.”

“I’m not leaving you here. What if something happens?”

Tommy just shrugged, putting his attention back to the man on the horse at the edge of the forest. Then another sound was heard, is that another horse? 

Yes, it was another horse, this time on a black horse a much taller man rode out to the edge of the street. His clothes while still very expensive looking, but we’re much more casual than the first mans. He looked younger, early twenties, with brown slightly curly hair. He too, had a hat on, but it was more of a beanie than a full cap. His clothes were slightly too big for him, and on his back was a guitar carefully strapped to him. Despite his height this man was considerably less intimidating, him with no weapon rather an instrument.

The man had a huge smile on his face as he approached his friend, they spoke for a moment laughing when a man on a white horse exited the woods, this man looked even younger than the other two, he didn’t even look twenty but he was still very tall. He looked a bit shorter than the one with a guitar, yet a bit taller than the one with a sword. However, the first thing Tommy noticed about him wasn’t his height nor age, it was his clothes. He was dressed in a bright red mantle with snow white fur lacing the bottom. His boots were grey and went all the way up his calves, and his pants were something only royalty or friends of which would afford. But the thing that intrigued Tommy the most was the crown gently placed atop his head. He was dressed as a king.

Despite his clearly expensive and proper attire his face looked like someone you could pass in the street, his dark brown eyes twinkle with confidence. At his hip was a sword as well, though his was much less bright than his companions, it looked old and used.

“I really think we should go Tommy. I don’t wanna be found dead, “Tubbo whispered with mild panic.

Tubbo went to get up, heart racing, but in the heat of the moment combined with his clumsy nature he tripped on a root, falling to the ground with a thud. Tommy was frozen, petrified even, as the men turned to their direction whispering amongst themselves.

Tommy couldn’t move as the first man jumped off his horse and approached them, one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other one held ready at his side. Tubbo was on his feet in seconds, standing very close behind Tommy whisper-begging him to run. And Tommy wanted to run, but his legs locked in place. No matter how hard he tried he was stuck.

As the man walked up to them it was clear Tommy was a bit taller, but muscle wise Tommy was put to shame. They stood absolutely no chance in a fair fight.

Once the man got less than three feet away he stopped walking, his eyes shooting around the younger boys faces. He took a heavy sigh, releasing the hilt from his hand and putting it outward as if offering to help Tommy off the ground, “hi, I’m Phil, sorry if we scared you mate. We didn’t expect anyone else to be out here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! I didn’t expect to find any comments when I came back so thank you to the two of you that did! Updates are going to start off pretty fast because I have a good bit of this written already, and eventually updates are going to catch up.  
> \- Bobithen Ross


	3. who are these people?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Tubbo get to know some... interesting characters.

This takes place immediately after the last chapter

—————

When Tommy didn’t take his hand Phil knelt down to his level offering a friendly smile, “I know we can be intimidating, but we won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Phil looked up at Tubbo who was also seemingly unable to move. “What are your names?”

he hesitated for a moment, “oh. I’m Tubbo, and this is Tommy.”

Phil chuckled, standing up, “Of course. Nice to meet you Tubbo. Why don’t we escort you two home? It can be pretty dangerous at night.”

Snapping out of his trance Tommy stood up to full height, and despite his age he was still four inches taller than Phil. “Thank you! But we were just about to leave,” Tommy tried to argue.

“Perfect! We will be able to talk on the way there. I’m sure my pals back there won’t mind.”

Phil took Tommy’s arm and pulled him behind himself. Tommy pulled back, but Phil’s grip was unbreakable, and before he knew it he was standing in front of all three men, all of them looking at him expectantly. “Go ahead, introduce yourselves! You don’t need to scare the poor thing more than it already is!” Phil chuckled.

“Right, I’m Wilbur, you can call me Will if you like,” the man with the guitar spoke; his voice was smooth as the ocean waves.

The man in the mantle jumped off of his horse before he spoke, stepping closer to Tommy. His eyes rolled over Tommy’s body judging him. “Hi. I’m Techno. Uhh, anything else important to say?” He asked turning to look at Will; his voice was much deeper than Tommy had expected, and he definitely wasn’t as confident as he looked, acting more like an awkward teenager, which was because he was one, but Tommy didn’t know that.

Will chuckled and put a hand on Techno’s shoulder as a response. This seemed to mean something to him because he sighed and looked back at Tommy who was thoroughly confused. “And who’s your friend?” Will spoke softly while looking behind Tommy.

Tommy turned his head to see Tubbo standing a couple feet behind him, a nervous smile plastered across his face as he stepped beside Tommy. “Right! This is Tubbo!” Tommy half yelled making the three older men cringe slightly.

Tubbo made an attempt to bow, “the one and only.”

This earned a small chuckle from Techno, Wilbur giggled and Phil covered his mouth to hold in a laugh. “We really should get going-“ Tommy interjected.

“Right. Do you know anywhere we can drop our horses off? We were just plannin on leavin em here but…” Techno said, slowly getting quieter.

At this point the sun was beginning to set and the sky was full of deep purple and oranges. A light wind helped cool the air from the previous sunny day, and the sound of the night birds' songs started to fill the area around them. “My dad owns a stop, he should still be there,” Tubbo said.

Tommy elbowed Tubbo in the side. And Tubbo shot an odd look back. If the others noticed they didn’t mention it, because soon they were following him deeper into town. “So, what were you two talking about before we got here?” Phil asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

Instantly Tommy knew he couldn’t tell them. If they knew they were talking about the king of the land negatively they wouldn’t see tomorrow morning. That is, if they even liked the king, but neither Tommy nor Tubbo were quite stupid enough to test that.

You would imagine the surprise on all of their faces when both of the boys froze in place, holding their breath, “nothing! Nothing at all!” Tommy managed to say after a few moments of silence.

Tommy felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Techno, not half a foot away looking at him, even though they were about the same height Tommy couldn’t help but be intimidated by the intensity of the stare. Tommy’s blood went cold when his eyes shot down to Techno’s other hand, the one that was holding the hilt of his sword.

Neither moved, looking at eachother like predator and prey. They must’ve been there for a while, because Willbur had to pull Techno away from him, “come on dude, chill. Do you seriously think these two are dangerous?” He whisper-yelled, gesturing to Tommy and Tubbo.

When Techno didn’t answer but instead continued to walk close behind Tubbo they gave it up, but Tommy’s heart didn’t stop pounding in his ears. Who are these people? What are they doing? Are they dangerous? And other similar questions flowing through his mind.

It had been a good few minutes of silent, tense walking when Wilbur pulled Tommy to the back of the group, “hey, sorry about that. Techno can be intense at times, I swear he means well.”

“Yeah… what was that? What was he gonna do?”

Will sighed, placing a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “he’s had a rough time, getting here was no easy task and when you got all defensive when we asked what you were doing it scared him.”

“I scared him?! What?”

“Well, you still haven’t answered the question. Was it personal? Taboo?”

Was he about to tell this random stranger that he didn’t like the king. No. That would be stupid. But maybe he could test the waters. No hurt in that, “We were talking about the king.”

Wilburs grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, and he began to walk slower, forcing Tommy to fall behind the rest of the group.

“Do not tell Techno that, alright?” Willbur whispered, “I’m serious.”

“Why not?”

Wills grip on his shoulders tightened more. If he squeezed any tighter he would rip Tommy’s clothes, his nails digging into his skin, “Just trust me on this one Tommy. If he asks again just don’t answer him and move on.”

Tommy thought for a moment, “you completely ignored my question.”

“What?”

“I asked why I shouldn’t tell Techno and you ignored me.”

“Yeah, that was on purpose Tommy. Just drop it.”

And while Will didn’t know it yet Tommy was not one to just drop things. It was going to eat away at him until he got an answer so Tommy was not going to “just drop it” when it was clearly something important. “Yeah, no, I’m not gonna ‘just drop it’ Wilbur, you're going to tell me why or I’m going to go up and tell Techno right now.” It was a bluff, sure, but Will didn’t need to know that.

“What are you going to tell me?”

Both Tommy and Wilbur froze, they must’ve made it to the horse stop because nobody was walking, but Tommy and Wilbur froze for completely different reasons. Wilbur stood still knowing he would have to explain this to Techno without looking suspicious, but Tommy stopped and smiled knowing the show was about to go down.

“I’ll explain later. Let’s just drop off the horses, get an inn, and talk about it later.” Wilbur walked up to Techno looking him in the eye the whole time.

Technk rolled his eyes, gently removing the crown from his head, and unbuttoning his mantle. Now he was just in an expensive dress shirt and a red coat, like the ones Tommy had seen the head man in the circus wears. “Wilbur,” his voice was deep and intimidating, nothing like the scared boy who introduced himself.

“Let’s not do this right now. I know I’m supposed to listen to you and all but I need you to trust me on this one.”

Phil put a hand on Technos shoulder. He took a deep breath giving Wilbur a very dirty look, “alright.”

“We will probably see you two at town square, don’t be afraid to come up to us and say hi! Don’t let this shaky first introduction scare you off!” Phil said with a smile.

With that they followed Techno into the horse stop, each of their horses following calmly behind them.

“That was interesting. I should go home.” Tubbo said.

“Yeah.” Was the only thing Tommy had to say. For the first time in a long time he had absolutely nothing to say, “I think that’s a good idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m having a lot more fun with this than I thought I would! Big chapter here so I hope you enjoyed. If you have any ideas let me know! It’s so amazing to see comments on this because I’ve worked so hard on it and I’m very proud of it!! :)
> 
> another note: the next update is gonna be a bit because I want to have this intro last a longer than four days but know stuff is gonna go down soon.


	4. What’s his deal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy goes out with some friends but some strange men from the woods seem to be plaguing his mind.

The next dawn was a Saturday, so school was out and Tommy got to sleep in, or that would’ve been the case if he didn’t wake up at four a.m unable to sleep.

His mind was far too busy thinking about the three people he had met yesterday. He was thinking about their personalities, how they clash in weird ways. Will almost seemed like emotional support for Techno, and he didn’t get enough time talking to Phil to fully understand him. But Techno, he was terrifying. One second he is laughing nervously and slipping over his words, the next he is staring you down, ready to kill you. No time for talking.

Soon enough bright rays of golden light made its way into Tommy’s room and into his eyes, telling him he had to get up. Great.

He sat up rubbing his face. He flipped his feet over the side of the bed, making his way out of bed he got dressed in an agonizingly slow manner before walking out of his house. “Time to start the day,” he sighed to himself.

It was a very nice day, sunny with a few white fluffy clouds decorating the sky. There was a bit of wind, but it was more friendly breeze. Trees were in full bloom, it being mid-spring, so the air was full of a sweet, natural, floral aroma. Good vibes were in the air.

Tommy slipped into his shoes and started into town. He had plans to meet up with Tubbo and a few mutual friends in town square where they would spend allowance money and catch up with each other, but when he got close to the center of town where the blooming cherry tree was he didn’t notice his friends eagerly waiting for him. He didn’t notice the smell of freshly baked pies and breads, nor did he notice the bright pink flower petals dancing in the wind. Instead his eyes stuck to a certain man sitting and singing under the tree with a small group of kids sitting nicely at his feet giggling and singing along.

Will

He was sitting under the tree on a small cobble bench, one leg over the other, tapping his foot to a song he was playing on his guitar.

It was honestly a beautiful sight, Wilbur had a charming smile on his face, the song he was singing, mixing with his voice was almost angelic.

He was singing a song about a boy who had fallen in love with a girl he knew. He sang about the time they spent together, falling asleep together, talking for hours; but then it took a very sharp turn. He started to get obsessive, she stopped talking to him, completely blocking all contact they had. He tracked her down trying to get her attention again, but she left. Leaving him heartbroken, and she was scared.

It was not what Tommy had expected, but it had a strange charm. Wilbur's voice was smooth as butter, only slightly cracking as it came to the emotional end. 

Wilbur looked up from his guitar as the kids ran back off to their parents briefly making eye contact with Tommy. Tommy didn’t turn away, but Will flickered his eyes back down to the ground, his smile fading away. _What the hell?_

Now, Wilbur was not normally the ‘awkward’ type, but after his conversation with Techno last night, he couldn’t help but feel sick when looking at Tommy. It wasn’t his fault that his stomach churned when he saw the boy.

Last night. Last night, Technohad told them he already made his decision. Last night, Wilbur told Techno about his and Tommy’s conversation. Last night, Phil comforted Wilburs tears as Wilbur and Phil got absolutely no sleep.

Determined, Tommy walked up to Will, “what was that?”

“What was what?” Will played dumb.

Tommy stood over Wilbur, his shadow hanging over him. Will tried to look at Tommy but he couldn’t get himself to do it. _Just look at him damn it. He isn’t dead yet._ But the second their eyes met Wilburs gaze fell back on the ground, “that! You won’t look at me, did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Wilbur yelled a little too fast, “don’t worry about it Tommy, remember what I said about dropping things? This is one of those times.”

Tommy though for a moment but right when he was about to push further he heard another voice he recognized, “hey Tommy! Hey Wilbur, whatcha talking about?” Tubbo ran up to them.

“Nothing Tubbo, actually I have to go, I’ll see you two Monday.” like that Wilbur packed up his things and left and when Tommy ran after him he just walked faster until he was out of site.

“What’s his deal?” Tubbo asked.

Tommy was strangely silent as he turned around to meet up with his friends.

The day went by and they had an overall good time. He caught up with Zak who he hadn’t talked to since he was thrown onto the streets, and he met some of his friends, like Bad and Ant who he had talked to only once or twice before.

They only stopped the fun once, and that was when Tommy had gotten a glimpse of Phils green hat in a crowd but it didn’t last long to get back to the usual bantering. 

Fundy, one of Tommys friends friends who he hadn’t seen in a while, had been going on about his recent adventure outside of the town where he practiced his bow and arrow. He was surprisingly accurate with both crossbows and the normal bow and arrow. “Guys, I’m telling you I’m good!” And although Tommy believed him, he still pretended not to.

“Yeah, and I’m going to kill the prince,” Tommy said laughing.

It was a common saying amongst the townsfolk, ‘I’m going to kill the prince’ was slang for an impossible deed. It is impossible to kill a god after all. 

The rest of the weekend went as normal, working in the shops, helping his mother clean and cook, and taking care of their chickens. Each night he went to bed for a restless sleep to follow, and awoke to an aching back, and on Sunday night he dreaded school in the morning.

That night he slept worse than ever. Nightmares of flames and death plagued his sleep, and constantly waking up in cold sweats without the ability to remember why he was scared, and if anything proved he was tired it was the deep purple-blue bags under his eyes the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal: I really like this chapter, idk why I just really do. Updates are slowing down not bc I’ve lost interest but bc we are getting to the point that the story isn’t as pre-written and I have to do more. Keep commenting! I’ve read every one and plan to keep doing so, it’s so fun to see what you think.
> 
> about the story: ahh it seems Wilbur is a little conflicted. And the nightmares! that seems like it might mean something right? ohhh spoopy


	5. change of plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy goes to school when some familiar faces show up

When he got to school the next he was pleasantly surprised to see his whole class standing outside the school house with the headmistress, eyes shimmering in the morning sunlight. All of their faces twisted in a happy confusion, everyone except mrs. Watsen, the headmistress, whose expression was more of extreme nervousness, her eyes wide and lips pressed into a thin, almost unnoticeable line, comparable to those of a deer looking into the flame of a torch. Her eyes went even wider when she noticed Tommy, quickly ushering him into the group of ten or so boys. 

Tommy turned to face Tubbo and was about to ask him what the fuck was happening, but Tubbo shrugged before a word had left his mouth, Tubbo knew him so well he knew what the taller boy was going to say before any noise left his mouth. Impressive. 

They stood there for a minute or two longer, waiting patiently for someone to tell them why they weren’t going into the schoolhouse. Tommy was just about to lose his shit from boredom when the patter of horse hooves on the rocky pathway to the schoolyard. Mrs. Watson gasped as she noticed the rhythmic sound get louder, “They're here! Everyone line up boys over here! Girls over here! Tommy stay in line! Purpled, no!” mrs. Watson yelled and mild chaos ensued. 

Eventually they did get into a line, Tommy was standing beside two boys he hadn't ever really talked to even though they had been in the same class since forever. Tommys confusion did not subside when the clip-clocks of the hooves started to grow faster and louder. The only thing running through his mind was ‘what the fuck’ as three familiar horses and three even more familiar men came trotting into view. 

In the front was undoubtedly Techno, with his thick red mantle and expensive dress pants, only this time Tommy noticed his crown was lacking. Just behind him was Wilbur, his guitar was still visibly attached to him and he wore a cozy bright yellow sweater-jacket. And a foot behind was unmistakably Phil, his sword still sitting comfortably at his hip. Tommy wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but it sure as hell was confusing. _ What. The. Fuck. _

As they came close they came to a stop, lining up with the two groups to look at them. Techno looked mildly nervous, sweat dabbling on the sides of his face and he was lightly biting his lower lip. Mrs. Watson looked even more nervous than before, her eyes wide and alert and she had to wipe her brow with the hem of her shirt. “Sir Blade, Mr Soot, and knight Za of kingdom SBI, we have been very excited for your arrival, I am Mrs. Watson, and I was notified by the courts that you have chosen a young boy from my schoolhouse, correct?” Regardless of her nervous expression she spoke with confidence and respect. _ w h a t ? _

Techno nodded slightly, his eyes scanning the group of boys until it landed directly on Tommy, and Tommy’s heart stopped when he heard Techno speak, “Tommy Innet, sixteen,” Techno demanded, what he demanded Tommy wasn't sure but it sure as hell sounded demanding.

Mrs. Watsen gasped loudly, an hand shooting up to cover her mouth, “are you sure, sir? Mr. Innet may not be the best-“ she was cut off by Technos white stallion scuffing the ground beneath her, “Are you questioning my decision, Mrs.Watson?” He almost sounded... accusatory?

Despite the fact that this was clearly about Tommy, he just couldn't get himself to concentrate on the conversation taking place in front of him. No matter how hard he tried to focus, the world around him seemed blurry, someone was talking to him, or maybe about him? This hasn't happened before, what, what is this? He wasn’t supposed to be someone important, he's supposed to be the neighborhood trouble maker, the kid who everyone pretends to hate but deep down everyone likes them. He was filled with anxiety at the thought, this seemed important, maybe he could do more than just be a nuisance, maybe, just maybe this was important. Maybe, he was important. He smiled lightly to himself, _ yeah, I am important. _

He focused back at the three figures standing in front of him, he can recognize them as Phil Will and Techno, none of them are looking at him, their eyes seemed to be glued onto Mrs. Watson whose face was beginning to turn red from either anger or embarrassment. “Excuse me, mind if I cut in? This isn't up to you, Mrs. Watson, nor is this up to me, nor Tommy. This is Technoblades decision and his decision only, so if we may, we would like to talk to the boy in private while you handle the class,” Wilbur butted into whatever argument was happening before Tommy began to pay attention.

This made mrs. Watson shut up immediately, she looked embarrassed, he’d never seen her deal with someone with more power than herself, it was nice for tommy to see her have to bite her pride for once. Only after that thought did he realize something. Techno is of a higher rank than Mrs. Watson? Mrs. Watson owned the school district, the fourth largest district in the kingdom. That was no job to scoff at, and he treated her as though she had no tidal of importance.

He looked over at Techno who turned to look at him at the same time, a silent conversation, a mutual understanding that something was about to change, lines would be crossed, and nothing would be the same again. 

Slowly the rest of the students dissipated. Tubbo was the last to enter the school building, waving goodbye to his friend for the day. Already Tommy was excited to tell Tubbo about water today entailed. Maybe they could meet at the edge of the woods later tonight and they could talk for hours. Oh how plans tend to change so fast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal: sorry for the late update! I wish I had an excuse but I’m really just lazy. Stuff happens soon I promise, stick with me I like my build up. No beta read so if you caught anything please let me know! This chapter was hard to get to 1000 words but I wanted to keep a lot of the explanations in the next chapter so it feels really slow- sorry about that.
> 
> Story: ah so the plot begins ;)


	6. oh, you will be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets some... interesting news from some interesting folk.

Will and Phil hopped off of the back of their horses, to stand behind techno. Phil looked nervous, yet happy, Technos expression was unreadable, and Wilbur looked incredibly uncomfortable with the situation with his bottom lip showing a bit more than normal and his eyes shifting irregularly. “What is this?” Tommy asked.

Technos eyes glanced over to Wilbur who didn't reciprocate the look, and continued to avoid Tommys gaze like the plague, guilt eating away at his resolve, “Wilbur,” Techno spoke, his voice seemed deeper than normal, if possible, “This is your job.”

Wilbur took a deep breath in, as he slowly turned to look over at Tommy, his eyes clearly fighting back tears, “Tommy, what do you know about the Soldeir in Poeta et ad Regem?” the way his words rolled off his tongue sounded like ocean waves.

It sounded familiar, like he’d heard it in passing, maybe it was one of the many classes he was failing, or perhaps he’s heard someone mention it on the streets. It sounded pretty. But regardless of the beautiful similarity it had no meaning to Tommy. It felt like something he should know. As if the meaning behind the elegant words were obvious, “Yeah I know all about soldier in poet a ed’ et regum,” even Tommy knew he had mispronounced it, but he was praying they didn't notice.

When Phil began to double over in laughter and Wilbur snorted, Tommy could only guess that was the wrong answer, “don't they teach this stuff in first grade?” Wilbur questioned, “well, yeah, they do, but I don't pay attention. That class is dumb,” Tommy shruged nonchalantly.

Techno looked completely shocked, his mouth hung open and eyes filled with dread. Will looked similarly filled with dread, but he slapped a hand over his face in a face-palm. Phil looked like he was about to die of laughter, he was biting his lip and made a sound akin to a tea kettle. Wilbur took a deep breath in before sighing outward, “okay, okay that's fine, we can still work with this…” well that's reassuring.

The air was uncomfortable, clearly nobody quite knew what to do. Tommy was quickly able to pick up on the fact that they had expected him to understand what was happening, or at least have some kind of background knowledge, and that just fed into the awkward atmosphere; because, well, he had absolutely none, “well, are you going to explain what's going on to the poor chap?” Phil chuckled, “he looks so confused.”

Wilbur took a step closer to Tommy putting his hand on his shoulder. His hand was firm on his hand, like a doctor about to tell a parent their son had died. It was full of pity and reluctance, almost regretful, yet it was firm. It seemed more like he was trying to convince himself it was okay more than comforting Tommy, “Tommy, you might know it as the tale of the soldier,” he motioned to Phil, “the poet,” he gestured to himself, “and the king,” he turned to look at Techno who was looking back at them intensely, “We were born in a place, thousands of kilometers away called the Antarctic Empire, you might know it as SBI. Our one job is to choose, train, and protect the next prince of Dmsp. My job is to speak to and for the prince until he chooses his own poet, Phil is a skilled soldier, his job is to defend the and attack for the prince until he chooses his own soldier, and Techno is a bit more well rounded. His job is to teach the prince how to rule, strategize, and occasionally fight.”

Tommys brain stopped functioning. He wasn’t stupid no matter what the teachers in his school thought. He wasn’t stupid, he could read inbetween the lines. It was a flash of emotions he hadn’t felt in years. At first it was shocking, this couldn’t be real. Shit like this doesn’t happen to people like him. Then it was fear, how was he going to do this? He wasn’t fit for important jobs, and although Tommy rarely doubted himself, but this seemed like the right time to start doing so. He’d never let himself consider the possibility of actually doing something worth remembering, someone worth remembering. The thought, the implication that he, Tommy Innet, had the possibility to be crowned as the Prince of the Dsmp. He’d have to change the name, but they'd get there when they get there. For now, he’ll just focus on the shock and fear as well on the increasing amount of dread and doubt that coursed through him. It was funny, almost, the irony of it all. Almost. 

“Am I the prince?” Tommy finally managed to squeeze out. It was loud, and abrasive. He looked Wilbur in the eyes as he spoke. “Will?” Wilbur chuckled, letting his hand fall from Tommys shoulder. It was colder now. “Oh, you will be.”

The quartet moved to a more secluded area of town that Tommy had only been to one or twice before. It was behind the schoolyard where the richer folk of the town resided. Large houses with even larger yards keeping them far, far apart. The grass was greener than anything he had seen. It was nice given the circumstances and stress. The walk was mostly silent, all of their minds too busy trying to catch up to make small-talk. Even Tommy stayed quiet for the most part with his mind running thousands of times faster than it normally does, which is really saying something when his mind is normally speeding faster than he can handle. “You can ask questions ya’ know,” Phil shattered the silence with a light chuckle, “I mean, I’d be confused.”

“Yeah, ask away, that's what I’m here for,” Wilbur added on. Questions flooded Tommy’s brain. All aligning with _what, why,_ and most of all _how?_ But he knew he would have to just pick one to start with, and preferably pick a more specific question than just _how._ “Alright then Wilbur, why me? Was it because you met me first or did I do something that you liked cause I know the least about this than anyone in that class,” he forgot to breath in between sentences.

Wilbur seemed to ponder this for a moment, “That’s actually a good question, since I’m not in charge of choosing the prince I’m not really sure why you were chosen exactly.”

“That’s a shit answer.”

“Maybe, but that shit answer is the only answer I can give you. I can however recommend you ask Techno that one,” his tone was so condescending Tommy wanted to vomit.

“Okay, why do you talk like you’re better than me?” he snapped back.

“It's because I am you little shit,” there was no real malice behind the voice of course, it was like an older brother teasing his younger sibling. Something Tommy never had before. He liked it, even if he would never say that outloud, “now do you have any actual questions?”

“Yeah, yeah, when do I get to tell my friends?” this wasn't so bad, “What do you mean?”Wilbur looked down at Tommy as they walked, “When can I see my friends and mom again?” he asked again, Tubbo would be so excited for him- maybe Tubbo could even be his advisor, he’s going to be so excited when he tells him, “you won’t be going back for a while, the next time you see them you will probably be the Prince.”

  
  


oh no.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It’s been a while hasn’t it? School has been rough and I just haven’t had much energy to write. All of the nice comments keep me going, I plan on finishing this story now. When I first started I wasn’t sure but now I know exactly how this is going to go. Next update might be a while.
> 
> :)) tell me your theories in the comments! I love to read them.


	7. a new home

The rest of the walk proceeded in a piercing silence. The type of silence that refuses to be shattered, if you were to try to speak there would be an invisible force keeping any noise from coming out. Whether it was awkwardness, fear, or some other arbitrary feeling, the silence stayed persistent and consistent all throughout. It wasn’t even because Tommy had no more questions. No. There were still plenty of them whizzing in and out, back and forth inside his brain. So fast that he didn't catch all of them, just a few that stayed long enough to remember. 

There were still a few notable ones that caught his attention, Do my parents know? How did they react? How would they react? Are they happy? How long am I going to be here? How am I going to sneak away…

He had decided the moment he heard he wasn’t allowed to see Tubbo that he was going to ignore that rule. If he was going to be the next prince he would make the rules soon, so breaking some small ones now shouldn’t matter. The only problem was that Phil was watching him intently, Wilber was… there, and Techno was just flat out terrifying, and if he were caught he would not want to see the consequences. He already knew Techno was skilled with the blade, well he didn't know but he still knew, and Phil had to be as well, and although he doubted either of them were actually going to hurt him; he was going to be the next prince; he still did not want to test his luck with the receiving end of their swords. Planning an escape would be difficult- yes he could just try leaving and hoping everything works out, but that only worked when he was a little kid, now that he’s big grownups don’t just let him do whatever he wants, so he would have to get creative. Just then it dawned on him that he still had no clue where they were going or what they were going to do when they got there. He couldn't plan an escape until he knew exactly where he was. 

Did Tubbo even know what was going on? Hell, Tommy barely knew what was going on. And fuck, he had promised to meet up with him later tonight. Tommy frowned at his realization that he would have to miss their normal hang out. What would Tubbo think happened, if they didn’t tell him, “What's wrong?” Phils voice asked casually beside him, brutally destroying the silence as if it were never there. 

“Hmm?” Tommy responds, still slightly in his own head.

“You look real tired mate, we’re almost there, so if ya need a break we won’t be walking much longer,” Tommy looked up at Phil who was giving the most genuine smile Tommy thinks he has ever seen. It was disgusting.

He didn’t even realize that he was tired, but the moment Phils words processed he could suddenly feel the bags under his eyes and the light tingle in his calves from walking. A break would be nice actually- but if they really were almost there then there would be no point in prolonging the walk. He’d been more tired. He’d survive the damn walk. “I don’t need a break Phil,” although Tommy tried to make it sound like a joke his tone portrayed the anger and annoyance he was feeling. 

Phil just gave him a small sympathetic look and a nod.

__________________________

They arrived at a largeish stone building that Tommy had somehow never seen before. They had to be a far way out from the town, large oak and pine trees towered over the group leaving long streaks of shadow over an overall open grass field. The grass was tall, with wild flowers scattered throughout leaving the place with a type of natural beauty that Tommy had never seen in his town. Even the woods near the end of the town seemed unnatural compared to the way the afternoon sun illuminated the area. The group approached a small wooden bridge that was above a small river that flowed past the house. A brick chimney stuck out of the side of the house with smoke lightly drifting out of it before dissipating into the sky. The smoke didn't even reach past the trees canopy before completely dissipating. It would be surprisingly easy to miss it if you weren't looking for it or didn't know it was there.

“Wilbur, show Tommy around and get him settled into his room. I’m gonna find something for us to eat. Phil, I don’t really care what you do, just don’t do anything stupid. Welcome home Tommy,” Techno said with a yawn and a stretch.

Tommy couldn't help but grimace when Will grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house. When they walked in they entered into a living room, Inside was nice, well furnished with dark reds and browns. A bearskin rug laid out on the floor. “Follow me, your room is this way.”

And Tommy followed him into a small pathway into the room. When the door opened he was hit with a wall of freezing cold air, “It’s kinda cold in here don’t you think?” He shivered as the words left his mouth so he hugged his arms around his body. “Sit, I want to talk,” Wilbur ignored Tommys whines.

He couldn't help but to huff when WIlbur didn’t back down to complaining, “but Wilbur-” 

“I said to sit, I want to talk.” and so Tommy let out another frustrated huff of cold air when he sat on the bed, surprised he couldn't see his breath from the chill in the room. 

“I know you don’t want to be here.”

“Well no shit Will, what told you that?” his voice was louder than he wanted it to be. 

Will put a hand on his creased forehead before he spoke again, “Let me finish will you? I know you don’t want to be here but I don’t either, want you here,” huh, “it isn't up to me or you though. I saw that look when we were walking here. You were thinking about leaving right? Well don’t do that or Techno will have my ass for losing you,” Will chuckled between his words, “I don’t know what he’ll do if he finds you but it won’t be pleasant. I uh, I'm not saying this to make you scared of him, he’s my best friend, but uh, he takes his job seriously. So I need you to promise me you aren't going through with whatever plan you have.” That was not what Tommy had been expecting. He may not have been expecting anything, but still somehow wasn't what he was expecting. He should not have to promise shit, but as Wilbur looked into his eyes that were almost begging he swallowed a bit of his pride to nod. “fine.”

A sigh escaped Will as he turned out of the room, “Also, the room will warm up, just leave the door open for a bit.”

He couldn't see that Tommy had crossed his fingers behind his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! long time no see? i promised i would finish this book and I plan to keep that. even though chapters may take time because of laziness and school i will get this done. keep commenting! they keep me wanting to continue the story, and if i like a theory the story is able to change to fit things i like.   
> also, can i get a pog for 1000 hits?
> 
> word count: 1199

**Author's Note:**

> hi! please comment and let me know what an I can do to improve and be sure to complete me to feed my nonexistent god-complex. I might not finish this so I’m sorry, but I might so stick around!


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